Pain
by Dreamer of Legends
Summary: Lights are going out around me, and all the world is dark.


Pain. That's all there was, all there ever could be. Mind-numbing, heart-breaking, soul-tearing pain. It was cold and merciless, methodically pounding at him like the steady throb of a heartbeat. He looked at Joey, his best friend; lying so still and silent, the only indication of life coming in the form of the mechanical 'beeps' that rang through the silent room.

Tears ran down his face in agony and he collapsed to his knees, shivering violently. _Joey... Joey... Joey... why did this happen?_ He wondered silently, clutching at the sheets. _Another soul is lost because of me. First Mai, then Bakura, and now..._

He grasped at one of Joey's cold hands with both of his own, pressing his palm to his cheek and closing his eyes. More tears leaked through his eyelids.

"I'm sorry my friend, so sorry." Yugi murmured, trying so hard to will his words into Joey's consciousness. "I never wanted this to happen, I never meant for you to get hurt! I should have protected you; I should have been the one to face Marik. It's all my fault!"

He could see it all so clearly, and behind his closed eyelids images of the duel still tormented him. Marik's grotesque and evil face twisted in horror. Joey's weak smile of apparent victory, as he place his card on the duel disk. The moment of breathless silence, as the whole world teetered on the precipice of oblivion. And then slowly, oh so slowly, Joey collapsed, his energy spent. Gearfried shattered, Joey lost.

Then the swirl of confusing voices, fearful eyes and scared voices all passed by in a blur. Now Joey was here, hooked up to a heartless machine in a cold room, fighting to survive.

Yugi gasped and choked as the weight of his guilt pressed on him heavily, he felt like he was being suffocated by his own condemning emotions. A moment later he felt another presence enter the room, called to his side through his distress. He knew who it was without even looking; there was only one person who could possibly know he needed comfort as badly as he did.

Yugi stood slowly and turned to face him, hastily running his sleeve across his eyes to dry them. When he finally looked up he found Yami's sympathetic gaze searching his own silently, and he held out his arms.

"Come here." He murmured softly, his normally stern face softened into a look of true compassion. Yugi fell forward into the offered hug, his tears running afresh.

"It's all my fault Yami." Yugi cried, his face pressed into his protector's shirt. "I should never have been so selfish! I should never have let Joey into such a dangerous tournament. I just thought... I thought that if he was here, I could find the strength I needed to defeat Marik. I thought we could do it together... I thought I could protect him... It's all my fault!" He said again, beating himself mercilessly.

"Yugi, you're forgetting that it was Joey's idea to help you in the first place." Yami tried to soothe him, hugging his distressed partner close. "He knew how dangerous this tournament would get, and he was well aware of the potential risks involved. But as your best friend he accepted the challenges willingly, because he knew that together you would be able to stand up to the darkness. Joey vowed to help us both, and he held to his promise until the very end."

"But it still seems so wrong." Yugi mumbled. "Why should my friends have to suffer? I am the only one that Marik has a grudge against, he should leave them alone."

"He is evil Yugi. He knows that we depend on our friends for courage and strength, and so he is constantly working to chip away at that defense. The only way we can stop him is by defeating him, and putting a stop to his evils once and for all. Joey knew this, and he fought with all of his heart to ensure that we had a fighting chance. We cannot let his sacrifice be in vain." Yami reached out and wiped Yugi's tears away with his thumb.

"We have to keep fighting. For Joey, for Mai and Bakura, and for everyone else Marik has hurt."

Yugi swallowed hard and nodded, his head bowed solemnly. He reached over the bed and again took Joey's cold hand in his own; he could still feel a weak pulse beating beneath the pale skin.

"Keep fighting Joey. Please, don't give up, we're all out there dueling our hardest to win, and it's all thanks to you. Don't give up." He placed his hand back on the sheets and stepped back. A little tug pulled at his heart, and Yugi submitted to the subconscious call. Yami must have wanted to say a few words as well. The Puzzle flashed once, and then Yami stood before the unconscious teen.

He had known the youth for only a short time, but yet already he felt a kinship with him. There was a bond he could feel growing between them, they were already brothers-in-arms many times over, and Joey had often shown him that confidence and simple determination could take you very far. Looking down at his pale face, normally so vibrant and full of good cheer, made Yami realize suddenly that he truly cared for the hotheaded young man. Yami realized then that he could not bear it if Joey was lost to the darkness, for he counted the wisecracking, good-natured and golden-hearted duelist among his truest of friends.

He leaned down over his friend and put his mouth close to his ear, his eyes sparkling with tears of his own.

"Joey... I know you can hear me. You know who I am. Do not forget your promise to me Joey, that we would defeat Marik, together, and stop him from hurting anyone else. Remember your vow to Mai, she's fighting her hardest to stay away from the shadows and so must you."

The figure on the bed did not stir; gave no outward indication of comprehension at all. But Yami was not disheartened, for he knew, somehow, that Joey's spirit was clinging to every word. He grabbed his fingers and squeezed them firmly.

"Stay strong my friend, keep fighting the shadows. We all love you Joey, and I know you have the strength to hold on. We are all here for you, always, don't ever forget that." He breathed the words with urgency and hope, and for a fraction of a second, he thought he felt the tiniest flicker of pressure form the hand he held clutched in his grasp. Then it was gone, leaving him wondering if he had only imagined it.

Joey lay still and unmoving; the machine that was connected to his heart called out the same monotonous note every second. But still, something had changed, an intangible and almost imperceptive difference. Joey's aura went form barley clinging to life, to viciously struggling against the unnatural darkness. Yami knew that his words had registered on some profound level, and he was confident that Joey would find all the strength he needed to return home.

Yami straightened and gave a solemn nod, his face set in a look of solid determination. As he turned and headed for the doorway one thought repeated itself over and over again, a promise of his own that he swore he would fulfill. For Joey for Mai, for everyone else he loved and cared for:

Marik was going to pay.


End file.
